George Washington Colonials
Overall Rank: #24
Conference Rank: #1 Atlantic 10
George Washington Team Page
At the beginning of March, everybody was talking about George Washington. This was a team that absolutely dominated the Atlantic 10, going 15-1 in conference play. They lost just three games during the regular season and they went into the NCAA Tournament winning 27 of their last 28 games. That included three wins over Dayton. Now that is some serious momentum. However, it was rival Dayton that took all the March headlines. The Flyers went on to the Elite Eight, while the Colonials struggled and lost to Gonzaga in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. But with the loss of just one player, the Colonials are ready to give it another go.
2014-15 Record: 29-4, 15-1
2014-15 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Jonathan Tsipis
Coach Record: 66-31 at George Washington, 66-31 overall
Strengths:
George Washington dominated because of their frontcourt. Jonquel Jones, a 6-4 senior, is the reigning A-10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. It would be a big surprise if she does not repeat both of those awards in 2015-2016. Coming off of a season in which she averaged 15.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 blocks, it is easy to see why the expectations are so high. Jones will do most of her scoring in the paint or at the charity stripe, but she can knock down some three-pointers too. Her partner up front is Caira Washington, a 6-2 junior. Washington is not quite as dynamic as Jones. She won’t make an amazing pass or block quite as many shots, but she is a solid interior scorer and a strong rebounder. Those two can battle with nearly any frontcourt in the country and come out looking good. Kelli Prange will have to wait her turn to be featured in the frontcourt, but she had a very promising freshman campaign and gives Coach Jonathan Tsipis quality depth when Jones or Washington need a break. Prange ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 7.9 per game and third in rebounding with 5.7. Speaking of rebounding, no team in the country had a better rebounding margin than GW. Guard Hannah Schaible deserves some credit for that as well. She is only 5-9, but Schaible is tough on the glass and a very dangerous slasher too.
Weaknesses:
The rest of the backcourt is a bit of a concern. Shannon Cranshaw is really the only shooter on the team. With 48 made three-pointers, she was easily the most prolific shooter on the team. This is not a team that needs to take a lot of three-pointers, but the threat needs to be there. Senior Lauren Chase will step into a bigger role this year in order to replace departed point guard Chakecia Miller. Chase, who spent a couple seasons with UMBC before heading to George Washington, did average 4.1 assists per game, so she is ready to take over a bigger role.
Final Projection:
This is the team to beat in the A-10. Dayton is reloading and will still be dangerous, but we know what this group at George Washington can do and they can dominate everybody in the conference in the paint. Early tests against teams like Stanford and Iowa might be the best indication of how good this team will be until the NCAA Tournament. If an experienced and familiar group like GW has can manage to knock off Stanford, they will jump up the rankings and stay in the top 25 all season long.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting Five:
Lauren Chase, Senior, Guard, 7.6 points per game
Shannon Cranshaw, Junior, Guard, 5.9 points per game
Hannah Schaible, Junior, Guard, 9.1 points per game
Caira Washington, Junior, Forward, 12.4 points per game
Jonquel Jones, Senior, Forward, 15.5 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.1 (32nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.6 (53, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.5 (62, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.1 (23, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.9 (275, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.0 (183, 10)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.9 (197, 9)
Rebound Margin: 13.8 (1, 1)
Assists Per Game: 16.8 (14, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 17.8 (270, 13)
Madness 2016 WNBA Draft Rankings:
#20 Jonquel Jones
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